metaphor

“Everything feeds down here” represents my view of the instinctual world, in which every living thing must eat in order to survive. In this world, it feels like I have free will, and yet I experience a life of complete control – lots of “musts” and “have to’s” – needs.

All living things instinctively feed to survive. Humans have learned to feed on multiple levels of life, including themselves. There is a metaphoric similarity to the physical feeding process – at the psychological level. When the mind allows thoughts and emotions to create and play out need/fulfillment scenarios, loss and gain can seem just as real as at the physical level.

I define “feeds” as actions intended to satisfy a need by depriving another life form a choice of energy flow. A feeder is one who lives by this credo.

Thought and emotion run the body – whether or not I’m aware. Marriage represents the end of separation. When conscious choice marries thought and emotion, enlightenment is the result. How does this translate into my expression of self?

First of all, expression represents an intended communication, symbolized in a code-like language, a causal enactment that implies a shared reality exists between communicants. Therefore, I assume a certain level of shared understanding based on our commonality of expression of mind and heart.

My biases reflect core beliefs as truths that I can’t challenge without meeting significant ego defense in the form of shoulds and shouldn’ts, musts and mustn’ts – needs.

When I sense my beliefs being threatened, I conjure up justifications as a means of keeping or returning my projections of bias as “true” reality.

My perception of current reality, then, becomes a projection of these biases, an artifact of my past that exerts a powerful influence on the very memories from which that projection emerges. Yes! More circular thinking!!

Language is more than verbal. Some estimate that over 85% of human communication is non-verbal. The body presents language in a number of ways including “verbal” metaphor. Symptoms of dis-ease can be viewed as messengers speaking your core beliefs out loud to you in metaphoric language. As you listen with intent to understand, the body systems feel fulfilled and acknowledged for their speaking. As the messenger feels complete and acknowledged, the system can return to normal functioning.

Carl Jung, Milton Erickson, and many others noticed the importance of this kind of metaphoric body language. Our own Body Metaphors chart, for example, speaks to these metaphors so that healers can work with underlying beliefs and thought processes to alleviate suffering and promote well-being.

In a previous post, we discussed projection as it relates to fear. I tend to defend myself from that which I fear in myself by denying its existence and projecting it instead onto others (ex: “You’re the one with the problem!”).

This time, let’s investigate projection as a metaphor delivery vehicle.

As we discussed in that previous post, what I fear at any given moment is projected before me in the image of my perceptions. The answer to the question, “Who am I?” then, may surround me all the time – hidden in plain sight.